In an effort to fight addiction rising out of gambling, the UK Gambling Commission announced that the VIP gambling schemes have been age-restricted. Now, people below the age of 25 will not get access to VIP gambling programs.

Operators agree to the plan

UKGC said that the British gambling operators have agreed to its plans of age restricting VIP gambling. This will help in creating a safer gambling environment for the customers. The regulator announced that collaborative work with its license holders has helped in marking progress on three issues that will make gambling safer for customers and reduce gambling-related harm. However, it urged its four working groups created in January to work harder and move further.

One of the working groups is focused on the use of VIP incentives by gambling platforms. On discussion with the regulator, they decided that people less than 25 years of age cannot be recruited to become VIP members of a gambling operator. Even those customers who are at least 25 years of age, will go through thorough checks on their gambling activity and finances. The VIP programs will also have to go through

“full audit trails detailing decision-making with specified senior oversight and accountability.”

The regulator is also planning to conduct further consultations with the operators for making permanent changes to its licensing conditions- the License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The VIP measures suggested this week will be implemented in the next three months.

Next focus is on ads

The Advertising Technology group is planning to make YouTube and other social media gambling content to be limited to those aged 25 or over only. It also plans on making better use of customer data to ensure that paid-for social media ads are not targeted at vulnerable groups. The industry is also planning to make a common list of suppression websites and negative search terms that could help in protecting vulnerable groups from online ads related to gambling. The affiliates will now be subjected to a code of conduct that will be updated regularly to help in better implementation.

The UKGC said that the online advertising ecosystem is very complex and the industry needs better cooperative action from social media platforms as well. However, it said that commitments made by the gaming industry should be considered appropriate for limiting the exposure of vulnerable groups to gambling ads.